A record of my own Life; A doorway to my emotions and my logic; A way of self discovery.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

How I learned to Ride a Motorcycle

Hi,
I will take you through my experience of learning to ride a Motorcycle.

My 1st Experience with Bi-Cycle

I had been living in hostel at JNV Pandoh, since 6th standard till my graduation from NIT Hamirpur. I was always interested in cycle and motorcycle but till 12th standard I never even touched a cycle, forget riding.

I went to Dehradun for a 20 days coaching for my AIEEE examination(which I cracked and got admission into NIT Hamirpur in Civil Engg.) in April 2005, I stayed at the ITBP headquarters wherein my father had been posted. I ate there with these government personals for 20 days, and befriended a cook, who let me try his cycle in the campus area.

I remember my ass pained to death, on that loose seat of the cycle, which didn't hold me, but I was the one holding the seat. I forgot the name of the cook, he helped me on the first day by showing me some of his pedaling skills.

I remember a story in one of our primary school "Hindi" textbooks, in which the central character wanted to learn to pedal the cycle at the later ages of his life, may be around 40-50 years.
Moral of the story was, 'if you don't learn this in your childhood then it is very difficult in your adulthood or old ages to pedal a cycle'.

Passed 15 days and the joy of being able to sit on and riding the cycle inside the peaceful campus made me forget the pain of falling on the wire fence of campus road, no injuries though!

In college campus I once had this opportunity again offered by my batch-mate and friend Abhinav Pradhan. I rode only for about two weeks in the beautiful campus of NIT Hamirpur at nights during our Surveying camp because no-body was watching at night. My legs were not much strong to pedal up along up gradients and I feared the traffic at that time so never went to the off campus roads.

Holding Clutch and Gear

After my graduation I got recruited as a Assistant Engineer in Patel Engg. Ltd. for working with a hydro electric power project, named as 'Loharinag Pala hydro electric power project', located at Bhatwari in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
There again a cook named Kailash had a motorcycle and he agreed to teach me to ride it, though in the hilly roads of that Holy place.

Uttarkashi is at an altitude of about 1600m from mean sea level(MSL), and the famous Hindu place, the origin of the holy river Ganga, i.e. Gangotri is only at about 40 to 50 km from Bhatwari. Now this might sound crazy, but I was in enough consciousness to control the motorcycle even in those drunken hours, which were created specifically to eradicate the fear with 3-4 pegs of vodka.
In between I want to add that it was a mistake and now I don't drink or smoke either, because it is not going to help me with anything, and surely it is not necessary at all.

I think the love for your life makes you learn how to protect yourself while you being half drunk and still riding a motorcycle, and that too at the learner stage on the mountains of Garhwal region. After 5-6 trials on it, I started to think of my own motorcycle.
After 9 months at the place, when this hydro project got closed due to some environmental issues, I Bought a motor-cycle.

I bought a Motor-Cycle

4 years old now - TVS Sport - HP 29A 2968

I bought my first motorcycle, I was excited to sit on this 100cc TVS Sport which matched much to my body dimensions. I was able to put my feet on the ground while sitting on it.
Till now I had very little experience with the clutch gears, accelerator, hand brakes, and rear brakes. I asked Manu Sood(TVS Service station owner at Joginder Nagar) to provide me with someone who can drive this safely to my home and he sent Rinku(his mechanic).

He rode it through this small town market of Joginder Nagar till he reached Dhelu on the Joginder nagar - Pathankot road. From Dhelu he proposed me to ride by myself and refused to sit behind me. I collected my mind at one place and started my first independent 8km ride from Dhelu to Chauntra.
Rinku was on the another motorcycle with another boy, and watched me ride by myself. I reached Chauntra on the first and second gear never going beyond 30kmph. I offered them tea at the nearby shop expecting some praise from him. He praised me and advised me to focus on the road while driving.
He said that I looked here and there. I got his point and followed his instruction thereafter. I remember taking my motorcycle to the Sukhabaag ground for practice. My main problem was with leaving the clutch slowly at the time of accelerating.

Red-Blooded Hands

Timing of clutch and accelerator matched after I falling two three time, one memorable fall was with Anil Sukosh(My brother's friend). This was after three days practice at Sukha-baag ground that I agreed to drive him from Chauntra to Joginder Nagar, a 10 km stretch.

After getting the needle inserted in my ass through the hands of the nurse of the local hospital who ignored my shyness and insisted to insert it there only, I got first major pain of this learning. I remember my brother Mr. Sandeep almost getting fainted when he looked my red blooded hands that day.

I stayed with my brother at Chauntra for about one and half months so that Mom and Dad would not see my hands but, I continued my practice at those healing time too. After that period I was becoming more fluent with my riding skills. I wandered the hills of the Bir and Billing(World Paragliding site) and Chaugaan which is famous as place of landing for the para-gliders.

In two three months I got a little confidence and whenever I got chance I took my motorcycle to Chauntra or Shanan power house from Joginder Nagar.

I am a Continuous Learner

After about one and half months I again joined the Uhl stage 3 in different company named Abir Infra. Pvt. Ltd. Earlier after leaving Patel Engg. I had joined 'Continental Const. Pro ltd.' but I left that within few weeks. I stayed at a rented room near to Machyal(famous for lake), with my motorcycle.

I would say, even after 4 years I am still a learner and learning more about Riding the motorcycle, and I love being so. I hope you loved my story, if you are a motorcycle rider or a learner I am sure you also have a lovely and memorable story of your own.